Council resistant to early Charter School workshops
Published in The Islander News September 4, 2008
CHARLOTTE MILLER. cmiller@islandernews.com
Despite arguments from Charter School Steering Committee head Angel Martin and Charter School Application Committee chair Leo Brito, Village Council members are resistant to scheduling workshops earlier than the previously discussed December/January time frame.
During an August 26 meeting, the Council deferred its final decision on the matter to the September 9 meeting.
Soon after the Council in June agreed to explore the feasibility of a Charter School, the focus shifted to getting the Charter School application filed with the Miami-Dade Public School District by the August 1 deadline. Now that the deadline has been met, school Steering Committee members want to keep the momentum by starting public workshops with Council involvement.
At an earlier meeting, the Council agreed to begin workshops in December or January, citing holidays and vacations, a shift in Council members and the absence of voting seasonal residents.
Martin stressed the meetings would be strictly informational, not decision-making.
“Our consultants have recommended a planning group," said Martin.
Soon, said Martin, the Miami-Dade application review committee will have some questions.
"Who is going to answer those questions?" he asked.
Council member Patricia Weinman, who requested the Charter School workshops be placed on the agenda, agreed.
"The application is a placeholder. Our commitment to the beginning of public dialog is very pressing," said Weinman. "I am concerned about the delay. We need to begin a tried-and-true public planning session. I think we need to be engaged to be in the community. What matters is a quality public process and the questions will be the nuts and bolts of the process."
Brito reiterated what Martin and Weinman said.
"Let's go forward and create a representative board. The Village needs to decide who is going to go there," said Brito. "We still need to know the extent of the demand. We respectfully ask for an earlier time frame."
No so fast, said resident Arthur Levey.
Levey, who has previously spoken out in opposition of the Charter School, accused the Steering Committee of lying through statistics and calling the statistics posted on www.hs4kb.com "propaganda." Levey cited the declaration that it takes 90 minutes to drive a student off the island to school.
"It isn't 90 minutes round trip," said Levey. "[Committee members] are moving forward without the full consent of the public, Our concerns are always dismissed.
"Whatever has been done, has been done by the people who are invested," said Levey of the application. 'There are only 100 kids [who would attend the Charter School] under the best of circumstances.
"A private school would be great if people are willing to ante up," continued Levey. "Most private schools are built by donations."
But, he continued, there are many financial issues that need to be followed up on, and the way the information is currently presented, "I find it a difficult pill to swallow.
"Whatever you do now is purely advertising," said Levey.
Council members bantered with Martin and Brito as to what role the hired consultants play in the process, and where, indeed, the process should begin.
Brito and Martin maintained it is important to determine the demand of a Charter School as soon as possible, while Council members argued the process is moving too fast and without enough information. Mayor Vernon said, "I've been [in a Council seat] for six years. This has moved at warp speed, faster than anything we've done. We're not delaying this by any stretch of the imagination."
Vernon said the workshops and charrettes should not begin until after the new Council members are seated in November. With the holidays and vacations in November and December, Vernon maintains January is earliest the workshops can begin.
Council member Enrique Garcia said he was disturbed that none of the consultants had shown the Council any data.
"We've seen nothing yet. It is their job to plan the school," said Garcia. "The consultants need to be here. We need to know who, how much money and where. Very simple."
Vice Mayor Jorge Mendia agreed.
"We've paid them $100,000. We need that information now.
All the more reason to open the process to the public, said Martin.
"People are misinformed. We have a web-site; we've done the work. Please, let's get the process started."
Martin said the consultants are ready whenever Council gives the go-ahead. Council member Steve Liedman gave another reason to delay the sessions until January.
"A lot of people who live in the condos will not be here," he said. "I don't want to disenfranchise those people who are voters and taxpayers. We have 11,000 people and not everybody will want a school."
Recently elected Council member Dr. Michael Kelly said, "The dream is proceeding the bean counters. We need to merge the dream with the people who build it." Kelly said he thinks opening a Charter School is a long ways away.
"Next September is absurd," he said.
Council member Michael Davey said he had no problem starting the information process now.
"People might get excited about it, or they might say no. Let's just move on," he said. In the meantime, the Charter School Steering Committee drew more than 40 people to an informational session August 20. No Council members attended.
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